EMP survival

I've recently become interested in EMP survival. All this talk about protecting electronics may be useless if the greater system(cell phone towers, power grids, etc) goes down.

I just finished reading the book "One Second After" by William Forstchen and it gives you lots of things to think about. The world can become very scary in a hurry when the infrastructure fails or collapses all together.

Think about what happened after Katrina or even what one of the earlier posts described about New York with no power for 2 days. Think about water, food, medicine(are you on a life saving/supporting prescription?) and protecting yourself and your stuff from others who didn't prepare.

The above book got me thinking and preparing in other ways as well as trying to shield some electronics.

Good info on this thread....I'm glad I found it.

Ive been doing a little research over the Past Month on this subject, Ive spent some money building a communications system to some degree and all of a sudden it hit me..."EMP Burst" ............?Chit

So I got to reading heres what Ive found.
You can spend tons of freaking money on geting a EMP proof box, or you can go cheap and make your own with aluminum foil and a cardboard box (sounds scetchy, but if you got no money, its worth a shot) Another thing you can do is use an Aluminum Trash can and seal with Aluminum Foil Tape.
For myself, Ive found that buying a tight fitting aluminum Trash can and then spraying the whole thing down with this is affordable and better then nothing at all.
www.galco.com...

But if you got the money, you can try these websites for some spendy choices.
www.cybershieldinc.com...

www.lessemf.com...

Hope this helps out for those in need.

reply to post by Patrioitinsheepclothing


Why spend $40 to coat aluminum with Nickel? Aluminum is 61% as conductive as copper and Nickel is only 22% as conductive as copper. You have also introduced dissimilar metals and are inviting corrosion. Aluminum especially does not like to touch other metals.

reply to post by Sideband


Because its not for coating metal,more for something like a Pelican Case, and from what I can tell about this paint "WITHOUT" having it in hand and only what Ive read online, it dries like a rubber shell, thin so they talk about multipal coats.
Notes Ive taken on the Subject from other websites:


EMI shielding

There are a variety of Conductive Paint products available for application, including: nickel, graphite, copper, silver, and silver-copper hybrids.
• Nickel and graphite conductive paints provide excellent ESD coating protection, as well as moderate EMI RFI shielding effectiveness.
• Copper paints are a popular choice providing midrange shielding and conductivity performance while being very cost effective.
• Silver and silver-copper hybrid conductive paint offers higher levels of shielding effectiveness.
Question from reader Augustino: August 11, 2010
Miles -
Question... I'm reading that one should have electronic equipment such as 2 way radios, AM - FM - SHORTWAVE radios, etc... stored in a faraday cage or box to protect from EMP.

And sure you can use a microwave oven to stash radios in but most are rather small. So as I'm reading and researching I see something that really floors me! They say the best faraday is a galvanized garbage can. Place doubled up contractor grade trash bags one inside the other, inside the trash can. Place items you want protected into the trash bags that are inside the garbage can. Place the lid on tight and for added security attach a copper wire to the galvanized can and then to a grounded rod! There you go a super sized faraday container.
augustino
Response.
Virtually any metal container can be used as a Faraday cage. Actually, galvanized garbage cans are an inefficient method because of two reasons: wasted space and insulation. They are round and things put into them are rectangular or square, so a lot of "corner space" cannot be used.

Second, the garbage bags are not sufficient insulation. One little tear in the bag allowing one item to touch the side of the metal can could be enough to electrocute everything inside. Cardboard is a much better insulator.

Garbage cans can be used, but old filing cabinets or freezers are better. Pieces of cardboard can be easily cut to line the inside for insulation. The shape of the interior space provides more items to be stored per square foot of exterior space. The shelving allows items to be separated and organized, used as needed, and then easily stored safely again. With a garbage can, half the items would be deeply buried. Retrieval of one item could mean removing half the items, and use such as that could easily translate into a tear in a garbage can liner which would endanger all of the stored items.
Miles

Im not preaching any gospal here, just showing things Ive found in my search for EMP protection and hope for further input for use all to reach the goal of the OP.

I beleave in multi protections, so Faraday Cages, Grounding etc. is all good, its what you can afford in these troubled times.

if there was an EMP, who would you communicate with? What would be the point of protecting any electronics outside of a wind up radio for info from shortwave... what power source would you use unless you are set up or solar or wind or water?

Nope, I would let it all fall to hell and live like it's 1810...not 2010. Now where's my black powder rifle?

reply to post by AlreadyGone

I would keep in communication with my group members, all of use with good radios still in tack makes for a good thing. I have SW equipment for contacting with others who have also taken these precautions and have equipment. I have no hopes in GPS or Blue Tooth or any of that new fangle crap out there being pushed. But Radio Coms is still a practical ideain my book. Plus if you have eletrical optics on your weapons, flash lights, range finders, etc.... "I" would want to try and a tleast protect my investment to some degree and if not Ooohhh wellll, I tried, thats whats important to me.
As far as power...... Im set for solar, wind and manually generated power, I keep a Flexible Solar Cells in my D.D.B. to power my rechargable batteries for my handhelds till I reach my retreat.

I would live with whats at hand for myself and what I have prepped, my first experinces with guns were Black Powder. And after making my first batches of Black Powder this year and refined for what I need, I have no doubts of these guns being put to use for providing and not resistance. I need more time spent on my blacksmithing skills, but all in do time and when is available.
Regardless.................if its 2011 or like 1810, Ill be living and I hope you will as well friend!!
Just a suggestion: if you dont know how to make Meid,you might look into it, it will be a great bartering tool for most.

reply to post by Brahmanite

I agree with you! If something bad happens I have everything I need in my backpacking bag already. Who cares about electronics, if you learn to live without them life is great.

I loved that show "the colony" it made me laugh that they worked so hard to get electricity to things instead of spending even less energy to live better without it. They worked for like 4 days to get a boat running on gas instead of just paddling and leaving on day 1.


It shows that if stuff does go wrong, many just wont be able to make it. You can tell the same thing by reading what people think needs to be in their bug out bags on this site. Its a joke.

reply to post by whoshotJR


I have a buddy who still hasnt convinced his GF she doesnt need a Butain curling iron in her B.O.B.

Out of interest, does anyone know if EMP's affect battery's?

reply to post by neonitus
ATS: Does an EMP Bomb destroy Batteries?
Here's a discussion from 2005 to answer your question.

reply to post by whoshotJR

I know, my husband and I laughed that they just didn't pole down the canal! There were enough of them to pole or paddle that they'd have made almost as good a time as they did with the motor .
If the situation had been real they also risked it all for a revenge raid on the other camp. A well thought out, well planned raid out of necessity is one thing. Raiding for revenge.... not so bright!

Originally posted by Patrioitinsheepclothing
reply to post by Sideband

 

Because its not for coating metal,more for something like a Pelican Case, and from what I can tell about this paint "WITHOUT" having it in hand and only what Ive read online, it dries like a rubber shell, thin so they talk about multipal coats.

I see. The part that made me think you were spraying it on a trash can was the sentence where you said,
"For myself, Ive found that buying a tight fitting aluminum Trash can and then spraying the whole thing down with this is affordable and better then nothing at all."

Your posts are starting to form a pattern

reply to post by Sideband


Sorry about the confusion, at the time I was thinking if I had a trash can I was useing I might spray down the inside, just for #s n grins, but I didnt express this at all.
When I first found this stuff, I was looking for something I could spray on my pelican cases I have, to give them some protection, but the more I looked into it, you have to worry about the seal on your case closure.I guess they have to be made of special rubber as well for sure safe.
Im good with my hands and have made a few gaskets before, but this was alittle beyond me for timeand skill, thats when the thought of the trash can came into play.......nothing more then some possiable extra protection there.
The thread shared earlier about the EMP battery issue was very helpful and gave some good info about EMP protection over all.

Came upon this thread while checking out some EMP threads. Other than financial collapse, it's probably (in my opinion) the next most likely SHTF event that could occur to completely disrupt modern life.

Questions from the OP:

What would you do if you knew about an EMP strike before it were to happen, but could not stop it?

My assumption would be this would come from an airburst threat. So, I'd drive both trucks into the main stable aisle (has a metal roof) and hope that would deflect it. I'd quickly put personal electronics that are expensive (like cell phones, laptops, tablet, game systems, etc.) in the oven, microwave oven, and dishwasher, dryer, washing machine. I'd unplug everything else. I do keep some handheld radios and flashlights in the safe (which is a Faraday cage).

I'd make sure all my water storage tanks are topped off, buy a lot of extra bottled water, canned food, and pet food. Get some extra feed and hay for the horses, and fill up all the propane containers and gas cans (and top off gas in the vehicles).

What would you do if this EMP strike just occured, but had no forewarning?

Hope my normal storm/survival preps are enough. We have some pre-made plans with certain friends and relatives for them to come here in the event of such an emergency, if they choose. To be frank, there are likely some locations I'd loot too, before others got organized into doing so themselves. Just survival stuff, not like riot looting (food, medicine, gas, etc.)